West Ham United FC vs Ipswich Town FC, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

West Ham United FC vs Ipswich Town FC Match Prediction & Analysis

West Ham will be hoping for full points when they face newly promoted Ipswich Town at the London Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Hammers are coming off a four-match winless streak, the most recent of which ended in a 1-1 draw against Brentford. Their only victory of the season came in week two, when they defeated Crystal Palace 2-0.

 Similarly, Ipswich Town is on a four-game winless streak, but they have not lost any of them. The Tractor Boys’ most recent meeting against Aston Villa concluded in a 2-2 draw, with striker Liam Delap scoring twice. 

Current Standings: The Hammers are 14th in the points standings, with the Bees in 15th place. Both teams have 5 and 4 points, respectively. 

Head-to-Head Record: Not many matches have been played in the rivalry; still, West Ham with a win-loss record of 3-1 with 4 draws holds the advantage in this contest. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

West Ham United FC Preview

For a team that finished in the first half of the season last year, West Ham have found themselves in a tight spot, trapped between mid-table teams and the teams that are engaged in a relegation battle. 

Julen Lopetugui's philosophy is defence first, then attack. However, he has struggled to put this concept into practice because his team has consistently conceded goals early in the game. Four out of six occasions this season, the Hammers have fallen behind within the first ten minutes of the game. In their most recent encounter against Brentford, they were down a goal within the first minute. 

Stats That Matter 

West Ham are ranked 15th in ball possession with 44.2% averaging 14.5 shots per game. The Hammers score an average of 1 goal per match with a shooting accuracy of 24%. Tomas Soucek is the top scorer with 2 goals this season. Danny Ings and Jarrod Bowen have also scored 1 goal each in the 6 matches played this season. The team has an average of 2.7 saves per game, the 15th best in the season. They have conceded an average of 1.67 goals per match.

Tactics and changes

The Hammers must be careful of Ipswich's counters, since three of their five goals have come from them. Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui's tactics lack clarity since he utilised a 4-1-4-1 setup in the most recent game, a 3-4-3 in the previous game, and different formations at other times. With Edson Alvarez returning to the 11 after serving a suspension, he may choose a 4-2-3-1 system. If this is the case, we might see Kudus warming the benches. 

West Ham Probable Starting Lineup -  A.  Areola (GK); A. Wan-Bissaka, M. Kilman, Todilbo, Emerson (Defenders); E. Alvarez, G. Rodriguez, J. Bowen, T. Soucek, Paqueta (Mid-fielders); M. Antonio (Forward)

Ipswich Town FC Preview

Kieran McKenna will be a satisfied coach after facing five sides from the top half of the table in six games and only losing twice. However, he will be disappointed  with the result against fellow promoted side Southampton, where they were only able to draw. Nonetheless, they will relish their chances of securing all three points against a West Ham side that's short of confidence. 

If the Tractor Boys intend to attack, their three most important players will be Liam Delap, Leif Davis, and Omari Hutchinson. Liam Delap leads the team in scoring with three goals. Meanwhile, Davis and Hutchinson each have one assist, with Davis making the most number of  key passes (14) for the team. 

Stats That Matter 

Ipswich Town are ranked the second worst in ball possession with 38.3% averaging 8.8 shots per game. The Tractor Boys score an average of 0.83 goals per match with a shooting accuracy of 36%. Liam Delap is the top scorer with 3 goals this season. Sam Morsy and Sammie Szmodics have also scored 1 goal each in the 6 matches played this season. The team has an average of 2.7 saves per game, the 14th best in the season. They have conceded an average of 1.67 goals per match.

Tactics & Team News

The Tractor Boys have been good in the counter-attacks, converting three of eight shots through breaks. However, given West Ham's tendency to be timid in the early phases of the game, McKenna may push his team to be more proactive in the game, at least for the first 20-30 minutes. 

Given how they played in their previous match, McKenna may start with the same 11 in a 4-2-3-1 system. However, it should be remembered that four players from the lineup that started last weekend have received a yellow card.  

Ipswich Town  Probable Starting Lineup -  Muric (GK); Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis ( Defenders) ; Morsy, Phillips, Ogbene. Hutchinson, Clarke (Midfielders); Delap ( Forward) 

WEST HAM UNITED FC vs IPSWICH TOWN FC
Winning Prediction

Despite Ipswich Town's confidence and West Ham's poor home form, the head-to-head statistics suggest that West Ham has a slight advantage. However, Ipswich Town's recent form has been encouraging, and they will be looking to capitalize on West Ham's defensive vulnerabilities. The predicted xG of 2.5/3 indicates that the match is likely to be high-scoring, and a draw is a possible outcome but West Ham are the favourites to win this fixture. 

West Ham to Win (3-1)

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